Great Auk

“The great auk could return to British shores for the first time in almost 200 years after geneticists hatched a plan to bring the extinct bird back from the dead. An international team of scientists has met to discuss reintroducing the flightless marine birds onto the Farne islands off the north-east coast of England... The scientists want to extract great auk DNA from fossils or preserved organs and then use digital data to sequence the animal’s entire genetic code, or genome. The important genes – those particularly characteristic of the great auk – would then be edited into the cells ofits nearest living relative, the razorbill. Fertilised embryos would then be implanted into a bird big enough to lay a great auk egg, probably a goose.”

“The discovery of the great auk in Wyoming is consoling but puzzling. How a diving bird, whose habit before it was supposed to perish off the face of the earth, about the middle of the last century, was the recesses of the rocks of the seashore, can exist in the mountains, with no means of flight, and no fish diet accessible, is a problem the ornithologists will need help to solve... The hunters have sent him to the University of California, not to finish his education, but in the belief that some of the professional brotherhood may be able to authoritatively identify him; and they are now looking forhis mate.”

“At the foot of this inclined plane is the only landing-place; and further up, out of the reach of the waves, is the spot where the Gare-fowls (Great Auk) had their home. In this expedition but three men ascended... As the men clambered up, they saw two Gare-fowls sitting among the numberless other rock-birds at at once gave chase. The Gare-fowls showed not the slightest disposition to repel the invaders, but immediately ran along under the high cliff, their heads erect, their little wings somewhat extended. They uttered no cry of alarm, and moved, with their short steps, about as quickly as a man could could walk. Jon with outstrethed arms drove one into a corner, where soonhad it fast. Siguror and Ketil pursued the second, and the former seized it...”

“A boat came in from Funk Island laden with birds, chiefly penguins [Great Auks]...but it has been customary of late years, for several crews of men to live all of the summer on that island, for the sole purpose of killing birds for the sake of their feathers, the destruction which they have been made is incredible. If a stop is not soon put that practice, the whole breed will be diminished to almost nothing.”

“a man could not go ashore upon those islands without boots, for otherwise they would spoil his legs, that they were entirely covered with those fowls, so close that a man could not put his foot between them.”

“An ill shaped Fowl, having no long feathers in their Pinions, which is the reason they cannot fly, not much unlike a Pengwin; they are in Spring very fat, or rather oyly, but pull’d and garbig’d, and laid to the fire to roast, they yield not one drop.”

“These Penguins are as bigge as geese, and fly not...and they multiply so infinitely, upon a certain flat Island that men drive them from thence upon a board into their Boats by hundreds at a time; as if God had made the innocencie of so poore a creature to become an admirable instrument for the sustenation of man.”

“We came to the island of Penguin, which is very full of rockes and stones, whereon they went and founde it full of great foules white and gray, as bigge as geese, and they sawe infinite nombers of their eggs. They draue a great nomber of the foules into their boates upon their sailes, and they tooke up many of their eggs, they soule they slead and their skinnes were like horny combes full of holes being slead off: they dressed and eate them, and found them to very good and nourishing meate.”

“They are always in the water, not being able to fly in the air, inasmuch as they have only small wings...with which... they move as quickly along the water as the other birds fly through the air. and these birds are so fat it is marvellous. in less than half an hour we filled two boats full of them, as if they had been stones, so that besides them which we did not eat fresh, every ship did powder and salt five or six barrels full of them.”